


Our Reality

by meower808



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24318919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meower808/pseuds/meower808
Summary: After the events of season 2, our main 3 find themselves coming to terms with living in a simulated version of their real lives. Kai must deal with his parents and face his fear of not being needed. Adam has to learn to move on from Reeve and face his feelings for Kai as well as own up to things he said that may have hurt Kai. Mira learns that it's not her responsibility to make everyone get along.
Relationships: Adam/Kai (The Hollow), Adam/Reeve (The Hollow), Mira/Skeet (The Hollow)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 113





	1. The Mornings That Follow Unrestful Nights

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly just couldn't wait (potentially) another 2 years for a season 3 to see Kai and Adam talk it out, so I'm writing it myself. It's gonna take a few chapters, but we'll get there.

Everything was back to normal, but that didn't mean everything was okay. Kai fell back onto his bed and simply stared at the ceiling. It was like the clock had turned back, perhaps a bit too far; perhaps to even before he ever met Adam and Mira. He was stuck in a world as one of the only few who knew that this was all some simulated version of the life they all once lived. Despite that, it was all too real. 

Kai's parents would still be in Saint Tropez for a few days: leaving him alone in the house and in the world. Maybe that was for the best. Even if they were here, it wouldn't make for any better company than his ceiling fan. He could just hang out with his new friends right? They were the only people in the world who treated him like a normal person. Everyone else when they looked at him only saw the things he had and the things he could do for them.

But hadn't they done the same? The only reason they even let him on their team was because "There was an opening." Adam said it himself. He didn't even say whether he would have preferred Reeve be on the team over him: he had never answered his question. The way he had spoken and acted then made it seem like he was completely replaceable. And maybe he was. 

Kai closed his eyes, almost brimming with tears. He tried not to think of Adam's words to no avail. Was that it? A mere placeholder? And now that Adam and Reeve were getting along again, was he even that? Kai's thoughts droned on until he succumbed to the safe embrace of sleep. 

\----------

Adam sat up with a jolt, breaths meant for unsaid words escaping his lips. He took in his surroundings and swallowed; throat dry. 

"Just a nightmare." He whispered to himself. He was probably going to have more of those in the future; The Hollow wasn't a kind place, and he wouldn't soon forget it. He sighed, pulling his hands over his face. 

Quietly, but deliberately, Adam got out of bed and made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. A glass of water usually helped him on bad nights. He hadn't had dreams quite like that before he started playing the Hollow. This one hit particularly close to home. 

They were back in the game, not their game though. The one they had gotten stuck in after they left "Hollow Life." Kai and Skeet were on the boat, headed towards the nuclear reactors, but he was standing on the shore. That wasn't how it happened. Why didn't they use their powers? Why didn't they move?

They were static, like posed mannequins in a store, built only for one purpose: to be consumed. He ran along the shore towards the boat, calling out; screaming for them to do something, anything. In the last moment before they were pulled into the centrifugal cooling pumps, Kai turned his head to look directly at him. It was the most he had moved during the entire dream. He mouthed something to him, something Adam couldn't hear or read, before being sucked into the vicious blades of the cooling pumps. 

Adam went numb. His mouth remained agape and his hand outstretched towards what was now the splintery remains of a rowing boat. His hands fell to his side and he turned away from the shore as a familiar figure walked towards him: Weirdy, Gustav, whatever. He had that same old smile on his face. 

"Tsk, tsk. You need all 3 members of your team to win, remember?." He held up three fingers and then dropped one of them. As if he couldn't count. "I had high hopes for you three… Oh well." He dropped his smile and he bent down close. "That's game over." The man snapped his fingers and Adam was suddenly filled with all the horror that should have hit him the moment he watched the boat crash into the blades: a horror he himself couldn't truly fathom. His brain couldn't understand, and it shocked him awake. 

But it was over now, he was safe, Kai was safe, Skeet…  
Adam looked down into the still water in his glass. He saw his face, his avatar's face, that was now wholly his. None if this was right, none of this was supposed to happen. Adam slowly made his way upstairs, glass in one hand and the other held along the smooth wood of the bannister. 

Adam sat on his bed and took a look at his room, familiar, yet foreign, and yet still remaining as his own. What stood out in the virtual moonlight was his pride flag. It and what it stood for was no less real now than it was before. At least to him. Reeve came to mind, but that brought up some bad memories. Then he thought about Kai, which reminded him of his nightmare in that moment, but then of the good times in the next. Adam smiled to himself. 

That in mind, he turned towards his window with curtains open wide. I should probably close those. With one last glance at the stars, Adam brought his curtains together, enveloping the room in darkness. 

\----------------

Kai had fallen asleep fairly quickly, but the thoughts from the night before lurked in his mind. He sat now with Mira at Adams breakfast nook. They had decided that since Kai's parents weren't home, he should come over pancake day. He had never gotten to hang out at a friend's house like this. Usually friends were coming over to his place to just play video games or watch movies of his large TV. Something like this was unfamiliar to him. It was simpler, but it felt more personal.

Mira was watching the pancakes in the pan from the table when she glanced over at Kai who looked a bit dazed. She decided to break the silence. "I'm glad your butler let you come over today. Adam's mom makes the best pancakes." 

Kai was torn away from his thoughts. "Heh, yeah. Davis is just glad I'm making more friends these days. He doesn't usually tell me what I can and can't do anyways." 

"Must be nice, not having to worry about your parents telling you what to do." She mused. "How many times will I have to tell my dads that my room is already clean." She complained jokingly.

"Uh yeah, I guess." Kai looked away. He kinda wished his parents would tell him what to do sometimes, but they were either not around or too busy arguing to do that. Davis wasn't quite the same authority that they were– or well, were supposed to be. His thoughts were once again interrupted by conversation. 

"Mira, you should try telling that to my mom." It was Adam "Having one book on the floor doesn't make my room dirty." 

His mom waved her spatula "Oh you could trip over those things you know. Clothes too."

Adam laughed as he sat down at the end of the table, Kai and Mira now on either side of him."I know mom, don't worry I picked up yesterday." He turned and smiled warmly at his friends, circles still under his eyes, but the bad dream now a quiet memory. "How did you guys sleep?"

Mira stretched "Pretty good actually. It feels surprisingly like real sleep." Mira stopped, glancing over at Adam's dad who gave them all an odd look. Mira turned back towards Kai and Adam. "Sorry, it's easy to forget." She nodded her head towards Adam's parents. 

"I wouldn't worry too much." Adam shrugged. "Even if we told them up front, who's to say they would believe us? I tried when I first woke up. All I got were a few worried looks." 

Adam turned his head to Kai. "How about you? First few nights in Hollow Life treating you well? You kind got there before the rest of us."

"Oh yeah, right." Kai chuckled, remembering the first night. He thought he was dreaming. He had brought up their time in the game, which was kind of awkward, and Adam said that he was– Kai flushed. He had forgotten about that. 

"It's, uhh, pretty good, y'know." He said pushing the thought aside. "It's just like…" His voice faltered "just like before." 

Adam furrowed his brow. The way he said it didn't sound "'pretty good.'" Before he could comment, breakfast was served. 

\-------------

Mira had quickly finished her breakfast and waited patiently as the two boys finished theirs. Everything had been going so smooth lately; If you ignored that fact that they were all trapped in a simulation of their proper lives that is. They certainly couldn't play The Hollow anymore, considering that it didn't exist in "Hollow Life outside of the Hollow Games building. Reeve and Adam were getting along at least, not that they had to cooperate now quite like they did in game. 

Now that she thought about it, it was odd that The Hollow Games building would be programmed into Hollow Life. The Hollow wasn’t meant to exist here. And why leave a portal there? If it was an accident, it was quite the costly mistake. Things weren't adding up. Mira thrummed her nails on the tabletop, lost in her thoughts. 

She was pulled away from her conspiracy however, by the clinking of forks on Kai and Adam's plates. Mira stood up quickly, but stopped when she saw the boys. They both looked kind of down. 

"Guys." She announced.

Adam and Kai both looked her way.

"I think we need an adventure.”


	2. Every Quest Starts With Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio has breakfast together and makes plans to go exploring a place they never intended to return to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, I bring you the Hollow kids eating breakfast. Tommorrow? Who knows. 
> 
> You may have heard that The Hollow was not picked up for a third season by Netflix, so all the more reason to fix canon myself!
> 
> Also, I have an instagram where I post art! (Usually OCs, but sometimes, fanart ;) )  
> follow me there or on Tumblr @meower808

“What?” They said in unison

“Just look at you two, you look like somebody died.” She immediately cringed at her own wording. Too soon. Mira sighed. “What I’m trying to say is, if we’re going to be stuck here, we might as well enjoy it.” 

Kai quickly commented, “Ooh, well, if you two are into video games I’ve got a cool new gaming set-up that could sure take us on a wild ride. A game inside a game!” He looked away and whispered to himself. “Meta.”

Mira shook her head and gestured towards the front door. “No, no, I mean like a real adventure. I will not let you two mope around here when there’s a virtual world out there to explore!” 

“Real adventure?” Adam questioned. “Mira, this isn’t The Hollow; how are we supposed to do that? Let’s be real, this place is practically a carbon copy of the world we know.” 

“Adam’s right.” Kai added. “What are we gonna do? Go shopping? Climb a tree?” He said sarcastically. “

“Actually…” Mira rocked on her heels and leaned towards them. “I was thinking we could finish exploring The Hollow Games building.”

Kai scooted his seat back and got up, shaking his head. “What? No. Nuh uh. I am not going back in there. Last time I stepped inside that building, tiny laser shooting robots tried to kill us!” 

“Kai’s, got a point, but…” Adam paused.

“But what? You were there, Adam, don’t tell me you like the sound of tiny killer robots. I mean, they’re cool on paper, but lasers really don’t translate well into life or death situations.” 

Adam continued, “Well, we still have our powers, right?” 

“Right…” Kai confirmed cautiously. 

“Then you could figure out how to deactivate the robots with your tech prowess!” Adam smiled and added. “No punching or fire blasting needed.” 

“Hmm, the fire blasting is the fun part, but taking out the killer bots remotely sounds like it has a lot less dying involved, so...” Kai shrugged. “Alright I’m in.” 

Mira pumped her fist “Yes!” She quickly placed her plate in the sink and headed towards the door. “Meet me in an hour at Holy Donuts. Be ready. Who knows what other defense mechanisms are programmed into Hollow Games.” 

Now only Kai and Adam sat at the counter.

There was an awkward silence before Kai stood up. “Well, it was nice eating breakfast with you guys. Thanks for inviting me over, it was great.” He smiled sheepishly as he put his plate in the sink.

“Kai, wait.”

Kai stopped, turning away from the door to face Adam, but still avoiding eye contact. “Yeah?”

“Feel free to come over anytime, alright?”

Kai started, “Wait really? You’d want me to come over? I mean- is that okay?” He looked to Adam’s mom.

“Of course! I love seeing Adam get along with his friends. Our door is always open.”

Kai locked eyes with Adam, and for a moment he saw something that he hadn’t seen for a long time. Genuine concern; specifically for him. Not concern for the things he had or the things he could give, but for who he was.

Kai grinned ear to ear. “Thanks. I just might take you up on that sometime.” And he ran out the front door.

\-----

Kai arrived at Holy Donuts later than expected, only to find Mira waiting on her lonesome. 

Mira sighed in relief the moment she saw Kai. “I thought you would never come! What took you so long?” 

“Hey, I’m fashionably late, plus, Adam isn’t here either. Speaking of which, being fashionably late is my thing, where is he?”

She shrugged, “Dunno. It’s not like him.” Mira glanced down the sidewalks coming from either side of the shop, not spotting their friend.

They stood for an awkward moment before Kai broke the silence. “So uh, why did you ask us on this "adventure", anyway? Seems kind of out of the blue to me. Not to mention risky.”

“Well, Adam and you just seemed, I don’t know, down? Is there something going on with you two?”

“What?” Kai wanted to deny it, but he knew he couldn’t forever. “Well–” 

“There he is!” Mira exclaimed, looking just over Kai’s shoulder. 

Kai turned to see Adam jogging their way. He seemed a little worn out.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late, I had to feed puddles.”

“It’s alright…” Kai began before taking a better look at Adam. “Wait, did you run the whole way here?”

Adam smiled, still catching his breath. “One of the many perks of still having super strength: running faster for longer. Still tired, but faster than walking.”

“Dude, that’s sick! Think of all the things you could do with stamina like that. You would rock the Olympics.”

Adam turned his face away as red dusted his cheeks. “Oh uh, I don’t know about that.”

Before this conversation could continue, Mira grabbed the back of a mildly flustered Adam’s shirt and started walking down the street, friend in tow. “Alright, you two. Let’s get going.”

Kai jogged to keep up with the fast walking Mira “Hey, I meant what I said about the Olympics! Imagine...”

As they continued down the road towards an uncertain adventure, it almost felt like they were together in the Hollow again. No one dare say this lest it break the spell, but it lingered in the back of all of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally managed the will to finish this chapter. It's been sitting in my google docs for a while, but I decided to finish it out of procrastination for more important things :') I had fun writing the dialogue in this one. I could almost imagine their voices when I read it, and I hope you could too lol. Thanks for reading and commenting, it means a lot.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I do my best to check for grammar and spelling errors, but mistakes happen. I don't know when I'll update next, but I want to finish this! However, I have trouble focusing on writing for long periods of time :(


End file.
